In a video statement following the U.S. House of Representative’s passage of the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to allow a vote on companion bill S.123, which would allow the Senate to respond to a widespread lack of accountability in Veterans Affairs (VA) with meaningful reform. The House passed the measure, 390-33.

Rubio is the Senate’s lead sponsor of the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014, a bill that wouldgive VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and future VA secretaries complete authority to fire or demote VA Senior Executive Service (SES) or equivalent employees based on performance.

View the full statement on YouTube here. For television stations interested in airing a broadcast quality version of the statement, the video is available here.

“It’s absolutely sickening – all the things we are learning each day about the state of our VA medical facilities and the poor treatment our veterans are getting. The VA is in desperate need of reform.

“Florida is home to almost 2 million veterans. Our VA facilities here should be the gold standard, and instead what we’re seeing is how widespread this national problem is in places like our Gainesville, St. Petersburg and Miami VA’s.

“People at the VA need to be held accountable. And yes, people should be fired for such gross incompetence and negligence – something my VA reform bill with Congressman Jeff Miller would do.

“It’s been a privilege working with Congressman Miller on this VA reform effort, and I thank him for his work in getting the bill passed in the House. Now that the House has moved to reform the VA, the Senate must act too. We owe it to our veterans.

“All that’s standing in the way right now is Harry Reid making accountability and reform of our nation’s VA system a priority, and bringing up this legislation for a Senate vote. President Obama being ‘madder than hell’ about this doesn’t fix the problem. The least the President can do is demand that the Senate send him this bill to sign into law.”